May 5, 2026
Laure Katz is a marine ecologist and ocean conservation leader, with over 20 years of global experience spanning all five ocean basins. Laure serves as the Executive Director of the Blue Nature Alliance, an ambitious global initiative working to accelerate the pace, scale and effectiveness of ocean conservation through partnership. She leads a team of dedicated ocean conservationists and scientists working in partnership with communities, governments, NGOs, and investors to catalyze effective, equitable, and durable ocean conservation around the world at increasingly large scales. Laure spent a decade as a key technical advisor for the Bird’s Head Seascape, in West Papua, Indonesia, a global model for community-driven co-management at the seascape scale and is the key architect behind the Blue Abadi Fund, a dedicated conservation trust fund to ensure the Bird’s Head Seascape’s impact is enduring. She brings to the Blue Nature Alliance practical MPA management experience, scientific, and conservation finance expertise, a passion for swimming with sharks, and a continual curiosity to learn from new places and people. Laure earned an interdisciplinary B.S. and M.S. in Earth and Ocean Systems from Stanford University and a global MBA from University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.